Olshan to serve as Gillings School interim associate dean for research
March 30, 2022
Dr. Andrew Olshan
Andrew Olshan, PhD, will serve as the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s interim associate dean for research. He is the Barbara S. Hulka Distinguished Professor of epidemiology at the Gillings School, associate director of population sciences at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and has been at Carolina for over 30 years.
“We are so grateful that Andy agreed to serve in this role. We needed an experienced, trusted researcher who understands the School and could get up-to-speed quickly. Having been a chair and currently a leader in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Andy was the ideal person to serve as interim associate dean,” said Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor.
Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen
Olshan fills the position left by Penny Gordon-Larsen, PhD, Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor of Global Nutrition, who served in the role since September 2018 and has been named interim Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. In the role of associate dean for research at the Gillings School, Gordon-Larsen led a schoolwide research program of approximately $200 million in research funding each year.
“Penny’s many contributions to the research efforts at Gillings cannot be overstated,” said Dean Rimer. “During the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Penny’s leadership of the research response helped keep Gillings in the research vanguard and resulted in important breakthroughs in life-saving vaccines and therapeutics. Alexia Kelley, PhD, senior director of research, has been central to the research team’s mission, as well.”
Olshan will serve as the chief research officer for the School and is the School’s liaison to the University’s Office of Sponsored Research. He will be responsible for enhancing the Gillings School’s research enterprise, including helping to catalyze certain large research opportunities, and be the primary point person for overcoming research challenges and celebrating successes.
Further, Olshan will manage research compliance issues within the Gillings School and facilitate efforts to advocate for the School’s research and researchers, increase research funding and collaboration, and, where appropriate, contribute to research policies for the School and University.
He served as epidemiology department chair from 2006-2018.
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
